Holmdel to Dedicate Horn Antenna Park

On Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 10 AM, Holmdel Township will hold a dedication ceremony to officially designate the Crawford Hill property that contains the Horn Antenna as the future site of Robert Wilson Park.  The park is being dedicated in honor of Dr. Wilson, a long-time Holmdel resident and one of two Nobel Prize winner physicists who confirmed the Big Bang theory on how our universe began using the Horn Antenna.

After the Township’s surprise announcement authorizing a redevelopment study of the property in December 2022, a grassroots movement started a campaign to save the Horn Antenna, a National Historic Landmark, at its current site and to preserve the property as a historic park.  A petition was started and included more than 7,000 signatures including individuals from 50 countries around the world.

In August 2023, the Township Committee took important steps to preserve the historic Horn Antenna that included an appraisal needed to enter into good faith negotiations with the owner and an ordinance that authorized the use of eminent domain if negotiations were not successful.

These actions ultimately resulted in the agreement to acquire the two lots containing the Horn Antenna and 35 out of 43 acres for a net price of $4.75 million.  After taking ownership in January 2024, the Township announced an agreement (details to be worked out) with Monmouth County that will result in a $3.56 million grant that is part of the Commissioners’ Municipal Land Preservation Incentive Program.

In addition, Congressman Andy Kim (CD-3) announced that Congress approved $500,000 toward the purchase and improvement of the property.  According to Holmdel Administrator Jay Delaney, the original request was for $4 million before other funding was in place.

The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend the ceremony at 791 Holmdel Road with a special invitation to former colleagues of Dr. Wilson and their families and former employees of Bell Laboratories.

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